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Phoenix Goddess Temple Raid; a call to legalize prostitution

Several of my colleagues were arrested and jailed last week in a police raid of the Phoenix Goddess Temple. This event begs us to face the fear, misconceptions and judgments we have against sex workers in our country. All sex workers–be they erotic educators, tantrikas, shamans, prostitutes or anything in between–need legal status in order to better serve the consenting adult population who seek their revolutionary services. Hundreds of my sex educator colleagues stand in solidarity against our country’s laws that criminalize prostitution.

It is not the place of government to regulate how, when, where or with whom people have sex. It is not the place of government to regulate how, when, where or with whom people practice religion. Sexual and religious freedom is our birthright–as long as we are consenting adults and don’t hurt anyone (no religious wars, please). And how we spend our money, whether it on sex or religion, is our call. We get to decide how we spend our dollars on education, training, healing, and enjoyment.Hallelujah! Our body; our money; our choices.

When do Americans grow up and admit that prostitutes—willing, grown-up working girls, not trafficked sex slaves—have great value in a civilized society? We need to recognize that those who willingly work with human sexuality–whether it be to heal, empower, pleasure, teach, or find God!–are doing valuable, life-changing work. Sex workers deserve respect, protection, benefits, taxation and dignity just as any other career.

We are a nation tormented and conflicted over sex. Think of all the wasted production caused by lies, worries, and unfulfilment over sex. What if sex workers were the modern day mystics who could save us from silence, isolation and shame, and usher us into a new era of freedom, connection and wholeness? Erotic Entrepreneurs–the new intimacy coaches and relationship gurus–could be credited with saving marriages and building a strong nation. Sexual wellness and wisdom–a world peace issue! Whores could be our heroes!

Let’s hope the arrests of sexual healers at the Phoenix Goddess Temple will spur a sex positive social movement. Let’s open dialogue and further define the need for people to experience and learn about sexuality in safe, consensual and transformational ways. Let’s legalize prostitution and the myriad of sex hands-on practitioners so we may get down to the business of healing, pleasing, educating and serving to make the world a safer, better place. Legalize prostitution.

That’s a sad story. It certainly should be legalized—it’s a ridiculous waste of law enforcement resources, that’s for sure. I suppose the only way to ever get there is for each of us to do what we can to create a more sex positive culture.

Prostitution should be legalized. The problem with the Phoenix Goddess Temple and Tracy Elise is she created something of an illusion with the Temple and because of her own ego proceeded to get the Temple, the gods and goddesses and herself arrested. As delusional as Tracy is, and I know her, she is quite delusional, she is not going to get off these charges. She will end up being the martyr that so many people who know her as I do, think is her real aspiration in life. Most of the goddesses at the Temple knew nothing about tantra and sacred sexuality outside of a few key phrases that could be parroted to clients. All the traditional aspects such as upselling for sex was occuring in Temple, as well as discussions of money cause a lot of Goddesses didnt want to be ripped off by clients. Then Tracy got herself involved with this sham of an Indian “Chief” where they were selling magical cards ,possesion of which would keep the cops from arresting you for drugs (ask one of the Gods how that worked for him). If Tracy persists with her delusion that she is getting off these charges maybe she will be out of prison by her 60th birthday (she is 52 now). In her own way she created a scam out of Tantra and sacred sexuality, and now she is facing the results of that.